Nicki Elson's Blog, page 19

X: The X-Files *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

Technically, I've never watched The X-Files (1993 - 2002). Er, I haven't figuratively watched it either, not so much as one episode. I wasn't as in touch with my nerd-side in the 90's as I am these days. BUT I adored the fandom that sprang up around The X-Files, and I'm 100% certain that whenever I get around to Netflixing or whatevering the show, I'm going to love it. Plus, X is a really, really difficult letter to work with so I'm going with it.

Hey, maybe while we're here you can help me out---do you have advice for a newb? Like, were the early seasons really good but they petered out later, or are any seasons skippable? Or does the series stay strong the whole way through, and I'd better get on it tout de suit?

Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

W: Wayne's World *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

Wayne's World, Wayne's World, party time, excellent.  Sorry, but there was really no other way to start this post. While I did enjoy the movie very much, the real purpose in giving it the W slot is to spotlight
In addition to doing funny original characters, like Garth and the Church Lady, Dana Carvey was a master imitator of SO many people, including George H.W. Bush & Johnny Carson. What's rather cool about Carvey is that he ended up withdrawing from the limelight because he didn't want his kids to grow up with a dad who was gone all the time.

Ah, Mike Myers. He's just so lovably goofy as SNL characters like Simon ("Don't look at my bum"), Linda Richman (based on his mother-in-law) and Dieter from Sprockets. He played two roles in 1993 movie  So I Married an Ax Murderer . He was both the male lead and the male lead's severely-Scottish father. And of course it was his character Austen Powers that put him into the major big time.

Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

V: Video Workouts - Tae Bo *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

Jane Fonda may have started the video workout craze in the 80's, but I didn't jump in until Billy Blanks caught my attention with the Tae Bo video workout series in the 90's.  It's a very fun workout that lets me kick and punch out all my aggression while toning and working the cardio. And Billy is just so, so sweet and motivating.

The original Tae Bo video collection kept me happy until the poor tape got stretched to its limits and finally snapped, but I still meet up with Billy on a bi-weekly basis in his Insane Abs DVD. And I've gotta say, it's really nice to not have to remember to rewind the tapes.


Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

U: Unforgiven *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

Unforgiven (1992), starring Clint Eastwood, has the distinction of being the first and only Western I've ever enjoyed...unless you count City Slickers (1991), which I don't think anyone is. Can anyone think of a U word that would go with City Slickers? Like maybe...the Unwestern? Because really, that movie deserves this slot more than Unforgiven. My self-imposed mandate for this challenge is to highlight 90's things that I still love, and I quite honestly don't even remember anything from the Eastwood movie other than that I was surprised that I liked it, and I've never been of a mind to watch it a second time. City Slickers, on the other hand...just thinking about it makes me giggle and gives me an hankerin' to see it yet again.

Which camp do you fall into---are you an Unforgiven or a City Slickers?

 

Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

T: There's Something About Mary *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

Ah, the Ferrelly Brothers, so irreverent, so quirky, so freaking hilarious. Combine that with Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon & Chris Elliott, and fuggedabouddit. There's Something About Mary (1998) is still one of the best Rom Coms ever, with classic moments like the hair gel scene, franks & beans, Brett Fahvaruh, "Exceptional, my ass"; "He was down there closing the deal with the Rice-a-Roni people the whole time"; "I know this is the Bible Belt and everything, but where I come from, this is not  big deal." Etc., etc. A bonus for me was that during the movie's heyday, several people told me I reminded them of Cameron Diaz in "that movie"---thus cementing the film into a very special place in my heart...and ego.



Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

S: Sex and the City *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

If I had to choose only one favorite thing from the 90's, Sex and the City (1998-2004) would probably be it. It came at a time when any social life I had was mostly spent hoping to complete a full sentence without being distracted by some form of impending danger to my toddler or explosive diaper emergencies with my baby, so I partied vicariously through these four lovely ladies. They're fun, witty, compassionate, and they've got really interesting love lives. What's not to like?


Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

R: Red Hot Chili Peppers *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are another 90's favorite that's still going strong. These guys are not only talented and fun, they're entirely unique. What other band can you even compare them to? Their sound is completely their own. And I'm just gonna say it---that little Anthony Kiedis is damn sexy. I can see why my husband has a boy crush on him. One of my favorite things about the Chili Peppers is their versatility. They can beautifully perform a ballad like "Under the Bridge", and then jump right into something high energy and super fun liiiiike...




Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

Q: Quentin Tarantino *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

I know, I know, I know---Tarantino transcends decades, but it was the 90's when the general public was first introduced to the genius of his writing and directing.

Lots of you met him in Reservoir Dogs in 1992, but I'm a lightweight with violence, so I didn't arrive to the Tarantino party until '94 with Pulp Fiction. I almost walked out of the theater at one point..."Bring out the gimp" to be precise about which point...but I stuck it out and after sleeping on it, I awoke the next day with the realization of what a treasure this movie is. Nobody mixes humor and grittiness and violence and cinematography and storytelling and characterization and everything as poetically as the Q-man does.

Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

Q: Quentin Tarantino *90's Pop Star Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

I know, I know, I know---Tarantino transcends decades, but it was the 90's when the general public was first introduced to the genius of his writing and directing.

Lots of you met him in Reservoir Dogs in 1992, but I'm a lightweight with violence, so I didn't arrive to the Tarantino party until '94 with Pulp Fiction. I almost walked out of the theater at one point..."Bring out the gimp" to be precise about which point...but I stuck it out and after sleeping on it, I awoke the next day with the realization of what a treasure this movie is. Nobody mixes humor and grittiness and violence and cinematography and storytelling and characterization and everything as poetically as the Q-man does.

Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.

P: Phil Hartman *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

Ooph. This post is a little rough to write. It's just so tragically wrong that we don't have Phil Hartman around anymore. (If you don't know, in 1998 he was shot in his own bed by his drugged-up, psycho wife.) But this hilarious, endearing man most definitely deserves a spot in these '90s highlights.

From the late 80's into the first half of the 90's, he cracked me up and up on Saturday Night Live, playing characters like Bill Clinton, Frankenstein, Frank Sinatra---"I got chunks of guys like you in my stool!"---and of course, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. All through the 90's he did the voice of Troy McClure (& others) in The Simpsons, and from 1995-98, he was the narcissistic Bill McNeal in News Radio. Plus he showed up in lots of other roles in TV shows and movies. Here he is as Vicky the tour guide in one of my favorite '90s movies (and this is me finding a way to work it into my list), So I Married an Ax Murderer:




Learn the background on my AtoZ theme.
Find the full list of crazy AtoZ hoppers.